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Keys to Success

If your flight is late, or if you have any other problems, contact Training Center Cape May at 1-609-898-6971 for assistance.

Act with Honor

You are now subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Lying, cheating, or stealing will not be tolerated. If you do something wrong, or make a mistake, do not hide it or lie: you should own up to it. Violating our core values can have serious consequences.

Take Things Seriously

Make no mistake, we are serious about training you to become an effective member of the armed forces. If you make light of what your Company Commander is trying to teach, you will find yourself on the receiving end of some STERN discipline. This is not the place for jokes.

Prepare Yourself Physically

Arrive in your best possible physical condition; you will greatly increase your likelihood of success in recruit training if you can comfortably exceed the minimum fitness standards listed on pages 12-13 before you come to Cape May. Start getting in shape early and build up slowly to avoid injury.

Follow Orders

One of the things you will learn in recruit training is how to obey all orders quickly, willingly and without question. Get used to it. It will assist you in recruit training and in your Coast Guard career.

A Chain of Command is a structure of authority and responsibility. It is necessary so that everyone knows their place in the organization, and to whom they have to report. For example, your immediate supervisors are your Company Commander (CC) and Lead Company Commander (LCC). Their immediate supervisor is the Section Commander (SC),
who is the next person in your Chain of Command. This progresses, as you can see below, up to our Commander-in-Chief, the President of the United States! You are required to know each person’s rank and name in your Chain of Command. Fill in the blanks when instructed to do so by your Company Commander.